


acquainted

by angel_and_desdemona, psychedelic_iridescent



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cooking, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dancing, Dancing Lessons, Dirty Jokes, Dirty Talk, Domestic Fluff, Dressing Rooms, Hotels, Huddling For Warmth, Living Together, Lollipops, M/M, New tags will be added with each chapter, Public Display of Affection, Roommates, Sharing Body Heat, Sharing a Room, Shopping, Slow Burn, Teasing, rating for potential smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:39:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28097790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel_and_desdemona/pseuds/angel_and_desdemona, https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychedelic_iridescent/pseuds/psychedelic_iridescent
Summary: to say that we're in love is dangerousbut i'm just so glad we're acquainted(the hyunlix slow burn you didn't know you needed)(TEMPORARY HIATUS due to hyunjin's current absence, will resume once this situation clears, thank you for understanding)
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Felix
Comments: 84
Kudos: 218





	1. touching on your body

**Author's Note:**

> title, summary, and in-text lyrics are a slightly modified version of "acquainted" by the weeknd

//  
_"You got me touching on your body  
_ _To say that we're in love is dangerous  
_ _But I’m just so glad we're acquainted_ _”  
_//

Hyunjin had to wake up for school every day at 5:45am when he was in high school. He’d looked forward to his twenties for a variety of reasons, but the biggest reason by far was the hope of finally being allowed to sleep in, even just the marginal amount of extra sleep a nine-to-five desk job would give him. Of course, the vast and unknowable universe had other plans for him. He wonders what his younger self would think if he could see what his life is like now, being an idol that frequently has to wake up even earlier than he did for school. 

Chan had gone through the dorms and made sure they were all awake around 5:00 that morning, giving them just enough time to get dressed and get to the cars half an hour later. It really wasn’t as bad as it sounded - since it’s a photoshoot they’re heading to, no one really needed to take the time to figure out their makeup, hair, or wardrobe before leaving; all of that would be taken care of for them once they were on set. They mostly just had to throw on something other than pajamas (or put on pants at all, in Jisung’s case) and head to the garage. As a chronic night owl, though, Hyunjin had only just barely managed to stay awake long enough to get to the car in time, not even changing out of the hoodie and sweatpants he’d slept in before heading out.

This particular magazine had decided on a themed photo shoot, based around variations of natural light. They’d start with the pre-dawn darkness and work their way through sunrise, taking solo pics of each member and finishing up the session by taking group photos in the full light of day. Because of this concept, the call time to be on set had to be very early, while it was still dark out. The sun is only just now peeking over the horizon; unfortunately, it doesn’t bring any warmth with it, just light, but the brightness at least helps to make the chilliness feel a bit less dreary.

There’s a list of call times based on the amount of light they wanted for each person. They’d given Hyunjin mid-sunrise, so he'd be complemented by all the lovely light pinks and pale oranges of early morning. He’d honestly been hoping for something exactly like that, but it hadn’t occurred to him that the timing of it would mean waiting for hours and hours, trying not to eat or drink anything to keep his makeup and wardrobe intact, despite the quiet rumbling of his empty stomach and how enticing the concept of a cup of coffee to keep his heavy eyelids from slipping closed sounded.

He sort of envies Changbin, the self-proclaimed lover of all things dark, being the first to be photographed in a complete lack of sunlight. Hyunjin watches as he returns to the waiting room, grabbing a cup of coffee and a pastry before waking a sleeping Jeongin, gently fixing his hair for him before sending him over to the set. Jeongin is to be photographed in the earliest glimmers of sunlight, the gentle glow of a new day to match his youthful face and his position as maknae. That’s two down, six to go - not the most encouraging numbers. 

Especially since ‘waiting room’ is absolutely an overly kind way of putting it. In truth, it’s just a few chairs gathered on one side of the set. Rather predictably, there are only enough heat lamps to keep the set warm, so the ‘waiting room’ just outside it remains protected from the wintry winds by nothing but an awning, the members relying on a handful of activated charcoal heat packs that had been split up (read: scrambled for and fought over), and whatever outerwear the members themselves had provided.

Hyunjin truly owes Minho a massive thank you, seeing as Minho, with his quiet way of caring for his fellow members, had gone through the trouble of looking up the weather forecast and making sure that his roommates remembered to wear their warmest coats to set that morning. It’s clear that most of the other members didn’t think so far ahead - thanks to Minho, Hyunjin and Seungmin are dressed in thick parkas, but the rest are suffering through the morning chill in a variety of thinner jackets, ranging from thin fleeces to cheap windbreakers. After standing with his shivering bandmates for a few minutes, Chan had proclaimed his intent to go find warmer coats for everyone before heading off. He’s been gone quite a while, though, so it’s probably a lost cause. 

Poor Felix looks especially affected, shivering in nothing but a flimsy denim jacket and a baggy, well-worn hooded sweatshirt. After a moment or two watching Felix’s miserable little face sink into a deeper and deeper pout, watching him bounce on his toes with his hands in his pockets to try and warm up, Hyunjin takes pity on him and waves him over.

The shorter blonde lights up as if this was all he’d been waiting for, and Hyunjin has a lapful of Felix before he can even blink. Felix takes full advantage of his new position, fully unzipping Hyunjin's coat before slipping his tiny, icy-cold hands deep inside, eventually sliding beneath Hyunjin’s soft, wardrobe-issued sweater as well to rest on the bare skin of his lower back. Hyunjin squeals dramatically, flinching away from it as much as he can with Felix's body weight pinning him down, and Felix giggles, pressing his face to Hyunjin’s chest, his cold nose bumping against Hyunjin’s collarbones. 

“What time did you get?” Felix asks him, his warm breath a welcome change from the cold breeze that’s been trying to sneak down the front of Hyunjin’s shirt. “I got ‘emerging sun.’”

“‘Emerging sun?’" Hyunjin echoes. "What does that even mean?”  
  
“That’s what I said too!” Felix giggles, the vibrations of it ticklish against Hyunjin’s skin. “Chan said they wanted to use golden tones for me, so I’m right before the last shoot, the group one.”

“Second-to-last isn’t too bad. I got mid-sunrise,” Hyunjin replies. “Pink skies and all that.”

“Oooh, yeah, that’s a good one for you,” Felix nods. “That’ll suit you really well. Pretty skies to match your pretty face.” 

“Aw, thanks,” Hyunjin grins, and then ducks his head, burying his face in Felix’s hair as an especially cold wind blows through. He pulls the sides of his coat as far closed as he can around the both of them, resting his hands on Felix’s back.

“Can you feel the heat under my sweatshirt, or should I put them on the outside?” Felix asks, and Hyunjin frowns in confusion for a moment before he realizes what Felix means. He’d assumed Felix was just putting off a surprising amount of body heat, assumed it was just the jarring contrast between a warm body and the winter air, but now that he thinks about it, Felix is a bit too warm for it to be natural. He must have snagged a few of those charcoal packs, before everyone else got to them - or maybe Minho, or someone else with a better coat, took pity on him and gave him a few of theirs. 

“I can feel the warmth, it feels really nice,” Hyunjin tells him. “Thanks for sharing.”

“Thank _you_ for sharing,” Felix insists. “I swear, these little heat packs weren’t doing anything to fight the cold before, but this coat is _heaven.”_

“It really is a super nice coat,” Hyunjin agrees. It’s a black parka, all nice and thick and warm, going down almost to his knees. “I don’t remember how I got it, actually. I think it’s probably someone else’s, but it’s been in my closet for a while now, so I guess they don’t need it back.”

“It’s Minho-hyung's, I bet,” Felix giggles. “Or Jeongin’s, maybe? It’s hard to say. I know we all borrow each other’s clothes, but I think you might borrow clothes the most.”

“I know, I know, but I’m just so bad at shopping,” Hyunjin admits. “I forget what it is I actually _need_ and end up spending money on useless things, and then having to borrow what I need from others.”

“Honestly, I’d probably have the same problem if Chan and I didn’t basically just share a wardrobe at this point. Of course, his clothes are always a bit big on me, but I don’t mind, I think it sort of works with my, uh… oh man, I don’t know how to say it in Korean.” He trails off, having to think of the word, but he can’t find it, so he switches to English to say, “Aesthetic?” 

“Oh, yeah, I got you, I totally know that one,” Hyunjin assures him, unable to keep from grinning with his pride at having recognized the word. He offers the translation, “심미적?”

 _“Sim-mi-jeog,_ ” Felix repeats the new word, committing it to memory, and Hyunjin's grin gets even wider. He feels bad that Felix always gets so embarrassed whenever he doesn’t know a word in Korean, but Hyunjin honestly loves every opportunity to teach him new things, and he feels so warm and happy when he hears Felix use a word that Hyunjin remembers teaching him. Sometimes Hyunjin thinks he might have made a pretty good teacher, if he’d never been scouted on the street that fateful day. Felix bites his lip, looking up at him with wide-eyed vulnerability, “Is that… did I say that right?”

“You did, yeah, that was absolutely perfect.” Felix glows at the praise, so Hyunjin continues, “And it's a very good look for you; you actually look really, really good in oversized clothes. I just look silly, so I have to make sure to borrow from people who are my same size.” 

“Silly? Please, you look good in everything,” Felix insists, rolling his eyes with a good-natured smile. “You looked good in clear pants, even.”

“Ugh, please don’t make me relive that memory,” Hyunjin warns, wrinkling his nose at the memory of the plastic sticking to his skin in the summer heat. “One more word about that and I’ll push you right off my lap.”

 _“Noooo,_ please, Jinnie!" Felix whines. "Please don’t make me go back into the cold, I might actually cry. You’re like the world’s best space heater.”

“Come on, I wouldn’t _really_ push you away,” Hyunjin promises, patting Felix on the back to reassure him. He's gotten so used to trading light barbs with Seungmin and Jisung and Minho; he forgets how sensitive Felix can be. “I’m not _that_ mean. And besides, you’re keeping _me_ warm, too.” 

“Mmm,” Felix sighs in relief, burying his face in Hyunjin’s chest again and letting out a deep, comfortable sigh. “Happy to help.”

Felix goes quiet for a while after that, quiet enough that Hyunjin thinks he may have fallen asleep, but he doesn’t really mind. The warmth and the weight of him, combined with his deep, even breathing, is incredibly soothing. 

Hyunjin must drift off a bit, too, because it startles him quite a bit when Chan lays an additional coat over them, draping it over Felix’s shoulders and smiling down at them fondly, “Aw, you guys look so cozy, you could give Minho and Jisung a run for their money.” 

Glancing over, Hyunjin can’t help but grin when he sees the aforementioned duo sharing a coat, Minho taking the left arm and Jisung taking the right, curled up in one chair and watching something on Jisung’s phone. “I dunno about that, it’s hard to compete with such a power couple.”

“True,” Chan laughs. Holding up his phone, he asks, “Is it alright if I take a picture for the Insta anyway, though? Stay will love this.” 

“Go for it,” Hyunjin affirms. Chan takes the photo, then holds it out for Hyunjin to assess. His heart hammers a little as he looks at it; Felix looks so small and cute, all wrapped up in Hyunjin’s arms. “That’s a cute one, you should definitely post it.”

“Posting it now,” Chan agrees, showing Hyunjin the post before walking off to hand out the rest of the coats.

“Did the picture look good?” Felix asks, his voice slightly husky from sleep.

“Yeah, it was cute,” Hyunjin replies, tightening his grip on him and pressing a quick kiss to the top of his head. “We look really good together.” 


	2. ducking left and right

//  
_"Baby you're no good_  
_They warned me 'bout your type_  
_So I've been duckin' left and right"_  
//

Hyunjin really shouldn’t stay up so late, he _knows_ he shouldn’t, but his days are so densely packed and rigidly structured that a lot of the time, the only time he has all to himself is late at night. And besides, as much as he loves the other members, the only time things are really quiet in their apartment is after the majority of them have either gone to bed or settled into their rooms for the night, so it's usually the only alone time he has as well. 

Late-night TV never used to appeal to him very much, but he’s grown to really love it. Perhaps it’s just the association of it, the pleasant isolation of nighttime going hand-in-hand with the never-ending infomercials and the reruns of decades-old sitcoms. During the daytime, he’d switch the channel on any of these programs without a moment’s hesitation, but late at night they gain a certain sort of charm.

After channel-surfing for a while, he eventually decides on a rerun of an American sitcom from the early 80s. It's an episode he's seen a few times already, but it's calming and familiar, and feels like the perfect way to relax after a long day and lull himself to sleep.

He's fumbling with the remote trying to turn the captions on when the front door opening almost makes him jump out of his skin. As far as he’d been aware, everyone else had gone to bed hours ago, after they finished watching a movie together as a group. Leaning forward to peek through the kitchen, Hyunjin sees Felix unloading items out of a bag from the convenience store down the block. 

“Hi, Felix,” Hyunjin calls out, and it’s Felix’s turn to be startled, looking up with a wide-eyed panic on his face before he sees who it is and relaxes slightly. Hyunjin’s brow furrows at his expression, “What's up? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm okay,” Felix assures him. “I'm all good, I promise. I just couldn’t sleep, so I decided to take a walk and get some air.” He gestures at the snacks on the counter. “And some late-night munchies, apparently.”

“Mmm, sounds yummy,” Hyunjin replies. They're running low on junk food, having eaten most of it while watching movies earlier, and Hyunjin's stomach rumbles with the hope of a late-night snack.

“How could you possibly know if it sounds yummy or not?” Felix chuckles. “You don’t even know what I got yet.”

“Good point,” Hyunjin agrees, then stands up and heads into the kitchen to look over the spoils himself. 

It’s all sweets, of course - it’s pretty well-known by now that Felix has a major sweet tooth. He’s bought a couple types of cookies, some candy, several different kinds of pastries, and some ice cream that Felix tucks safely into the freezer.

“Oooh, you’ve got such good taste in snacks,” Hyunjin tells him, then, in his sweetest, most earnest voice, “Is there, uh, anything you wouldn’t mind sharing?”

Felix looks over his haul for a moment, considering it, before grabbing a box of cookies. He holds it out, raising a brow in invitation, but pulls the box away as soon as Hyunjin reaches for it, warning, “I’m willing to share these if you're willing share the couch, the TV, and, most importantly, the remote. I'm not tired enough to go back to my room yet, and I'm not watching another three-hour infomercial, sorry.” 

“Of course, Lixie, anything for you,” Hyunjin assures him.

“I mean, I think it’s more for the cookies than for me, but fine, you won me over. Here you go,” Felix laughs, handing the cookies over. He grabs a handful of assorted candies from the counter before following Hyunjin into the living room, sitting sideways with his back against the arm of the couch, eagerly unwrapping one of the candies and popping it into his mouth as he slides his bare feet beneath Hyunjin’s thighs for warmth.

“And here _you_ go, as promised,” Hyunjin says, passing Felix the remote before tearing into the box of cookies. They’re tiny sugar cookies, tasting perfectly light and sweet, and he sort of hopes Felix isn’t expecting too many of them back by the end of the night because they are _delicious._

Felix giggles suddenly; Hyunjin glances at the TV but it's currently tuned to the guide channel, not anything comedic, so he glances over at Felix in confusion. "What's so funny?"

“Those cookies are really good, huh?” Felix asks. 

“Yeah, they are,” Hyunjin confirms. Felix laughs again, which makes Hyunjin frown even deeper, worried he’s being made fun of. “Why do you ask?”

“You’re, uh…” Felix bites his lip, considering his phrasing before finishing, “You’re making noises.”

“What kind of noises?” Hyunjin asks. “Am I chewing too loudly or something?”

“No, not that, it’s more like... the kind of noises that usually go along with something a bit more salacious than eating all my cookies,” Felix replies, and then lets out a deep, breathy little, “ _Mmmm.”_

“Oh my _god,_ Felix, don’t do that!” Hyunjin cries, his gaze instantly whipping to the hallway containing all of the bedrooms, all the other members. “People are gonna think we’re…”

“But that’s exactly what you sounded like!” Felix protests. "That's why I was so shocked!"

“No way, there’s no way I made _that_ kind of noise without knowing,” Hyunjin insists, ducking his head to hide his blush. “I think you just wanted an excuse to moan in my ear.”

“Oh please, if that’s what I wanted, I wouldn’t come up with some flimsy excuse,” Felix retorts. “I’d just invite you back to my room.”

“Your room?” Cheeks burning even hotter, Hyunjin stammeringly points out, “B-but both of your roommates are home right now.”

“So what?" Felix shrugs. "I can be so quiet, they’d never even know.”

“You're quiet in bed?” Hyunjin snorts. “Somehow I kind of doubt that.” 

“Oh, really? So you want me to prove it to you?” Felix turns to face him fully, a competitive gleam in his eyes. “Come back to my room with me right now, and I’d be more than glad to show you _exactly_ what I'm like in bed.”

It’s just a joke, of course. He’s just teasing, the same way all of them tease each other. Hyunjin knows this to be true, and yet he can’t seem to get his heartbeat under control, feeling it hammering away inside his chest, making his face burn hot and his palms start sweating.

“Nah, no thanks, I think I'm good, actually,” Hyunjin says finally, and if he sees a flash of disappointment on Felix’s face, Hyunjin’s sure he just imagined it. “I mean, even if by some miracle _you_ can be quiet, apparently I don’t even know _what_ sort of noises I’m making, so...”

“You know what, I think you’re right; if a sugar cookie can make you moan that loud, I can’t even imagine what you’re like in bed. I might make you _scream._ ” Hyunjin pinches his leg, deliberately going for the soft, sensitive flesh behind his knee. Felix squeals, throwing a lollipop at Hyunjin in self-defense and adding, “What’s the matter, Jinnie? Too accurate?”

“Uh, more like too _gross._ How do you even say stuff like that?” Hyunjin cries, wrinkling up his nose in a mock-display of disgust before he holds up the lollipop, unwrapping it. “And I’m keeping this, by the way. This is mine now.”

“Hey, no, give that back!” Felix cries, reaching out for it, but Hyunjin’s got the candy in his mouth before Felix gets there. Not one to be defeated that easily, though, Felix snatches the candy right from between Hyunjin’s lips and, without a second’s hesitation, slips it into his own mouth.

“Oh my _god_ , Felix!" Hyunjin cries, his heart having to work overtime to make his cheeks burn this hot. "That's... you’re seriously so gross sometimes, Yongbokkie. What would Channie-hyung say if he saw you do that?”

“He’d say, uh,” Felix clears his throat, putting on his best impression of Chan, “‘Oi, Felix! Don’t eat things out of Hyunjin’s mouth!’"  
  
"Exactly, yeah, and..."  
  
"And then I’d have to tell him, ‘I'm sorry, hyung, but Hyunjin’s mouth just makes things taste better,'" Felix finishes, and he sucks on the candy hard, his lashes fluttering closed like it's the best, most satisfying thing he's ever had in his mouth.

“Felix, oh my god, _stop!"_ Hyunjin grabs the throw pillow he’s been leaning on and uses it to whack Felix right in the face, but the candy stays firmly held between his lips. “Come on, seriously, you need to spit that out, that’s so disgusting!” 

“What's wrong? Do you want it back? You wanna know what we taste like together?” Felix offers, pulling the candy from his lips with a pop and offering it to him. “That’s so _dirty,_ Jinnie, I didn’t expect that from you, I..."

Wordlessly, Hyunjin grabs the candy from his hand, directing it toward his own lips just long enough to see Felix’s surprised expression before averting at the last second, chucking it across the room, sending it skittering across the kitchen floor.


	3. i fell for you, i fell for you, i fell for you

// _  
“Baby you’re no good_ _  
__Think I fell for you_  
 _I fell for you, I fell for you”_  
//

Hyunjin's always envied the way their dance instructor makes the choreography look both simple and sophisticated, so smooth on the eye while also being very impressive to pull off. Yesterday, the instructor had performed each person’s part in turn, demonstrating how Felix is going to finish his verse and then lean backwards until he’s lying flat on the floor, allowing Hyunjin to step forward and take the spotlight as Felix mimics Hyunjin’s every move from the ground as though he’s Hyunjin’s shadow. Then, once Hyunjin’s part is over, he falls forward, allowing Chan to leap over him and perform his portion of the verse, hiding the two of them from the crowd until the chorus, when Hyunjin and Felix will stand up on either side of Chan as though they’ve appeared there by magic. 

It’ll look incredibly impressive, once they learn it and actually manage to pull it off. They hadn’t actually reached this part until today, working through the choreo slowly, piece by piece, so it’s the first time they’re actually trying it out themselves.

After getting into their respective spots, Felix performs his verse, then turns to Hyunjin right as he walks up, falling backwards and catching himself easily, right on beat. So far so good.

They mirror each other for Hyunjin’s verse, and then Hyunjin falls forward, catching himself on his hands just in time for Chan to leap over the two of them. Hyunjin holds his breath for one tense moment, unable to keep from imagining the impact if Chan ended up landing right on top of him, but as soon as he can breathe easy again, Hyunjin is immediately struck by how close his face is to Felix’s.

“Why, hello there,” Felix says, softly, a giggle bubbling up under the surface and a cute little smile quirking at the corners of his lips. His breath smells of fruity candy - Hyunjin will never understand how Felix dances so hard on a stomach full of sweets. “What brings you here so suddenly?”

“Had to get a closer look at those freckles,” Hyunjin replies. “Heard a rumor they weren’t real.”

“Wait, what? Who said they’re not real?” Felix demands, slightly too loud - Chan nudges his shoulder with his heel, lightly, silently trying to urge the two of them to quiet down. Hyunjin can’t help but snicker under his breath at Chan's subtle attempt at a reprimand, and Felix gives him a playful jab in the side. “Stop teasing me, you’re gonna get us in trouble!”

Hyunjin, of course, only finds that even _more_ amusing, bursting out into full uncontrollable giggles, and Felix attempts to shut him up with a firmer jab to Hyunjin’s ribs. Hyunjin instinctively goes to cover his midsection with his arm, somehow forgetting that’s what’s holding him up in the first place until he's already crashing down, face-first, onto Felix’s chest.

“Ahh!” Felix lets out a startled yelp at the moment of impact, then a deeper “Oof,” as all the air is knocked out of him. Everything screeches to a halt, Hyunjin feeling a half-dozen sets of eyes burning into him. He’s sort of tempted to just hide his face in Felix’s chest, but bravely lifts his head to meet Chan’s eyes. 

“What just happened?” Chan asks, his gaze full of annoyance and concern in equal measure, unsure how to react just yet.

“Sorry, hyung,” Hyunjin replies, as genuinely as he can, and Chan's expression softens further. “I guess I had a muscle spasm or something, I don’t know. My arms just collapsed out of nowhere.”

“I heard someone laughing,” Jeongin points out. 

“I heard Hyunjinnie laughing, specifically,” Jisung adds. “He’s got a very distinct laugh.” 

“Apparently someone never learned the phrase ‘snitches get stitches,’” Hyunjin mutters, too quietly for anyone but Felix to hear.

Ignoring the commotion, Chan comes over, crouching down to help them both up and then leaning in to examine Hyunjin’s head, tilting it up towards the light. “How's your head feel? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Hyunjin replies, but can’t help but wince when Chan presses his fingers to the tender spot on his forehead. Chan withdraws his hand the moment he hears Hyunjin hiss in pain, giving Hyunjin a sympathetic and reassuring smile before turning to Felix.

“What about you? How hard did he land on you?” He’s got a hand on Felix’s shoulder before he can even answer, his fingers working at the buttons on Felix’s shirt. 

“Not that hard at all, Channie-hyung. Hyunjin isn’t all that heavy in the first place, and he didn't fall that far,” Felix points out, but he doesn’t stop Chan from checking for himself, pressing the slightly reddened skin the same way he’d inspected Hyunjin’s forehead.

“Chan-hyung saw an opportunity and ran with it,” Changbin remarks, stage-whispering to Jisung.

“Lucky hyung,” Jisung replies. “I wouldn’t mind a peek at Felix’s, uh, _opportunities.”_

Chan obviously overhears them, as they clearly intended him to, but opts not to reply. Still, he’s blushing when he leans away, re-buttoning Felix's shirt and informing him, “I think you’re okay.”

“Yeah, I'm alright. Here, I got it, hyung,” Felix assures him, waving him away and buttoning his own shirt back up, leaving a few that had been buttoned before. Hyunjin tries not to notice things like that, but it’s hard not to notice the enticing V of smooth, tan skin that's been left exposed. 

“Do you guys need me to demonstrate the routine for you?” Minho asks. There’s a slight edge to his voice when he asks, but Hyunjin knows the offer comes from a place of kindness. “Were you confused about something, was that the reason for the little giggly gossip party you two were having down there?”

“Yes,” Felix says, speaking fast, like he wants to get the word out before Hyunjin can disagree. “That would be great, Minho-hyung, thank you.” 

“Fine,” Chan agrees, his ears still red from Changbin and Jisung’s commentary. “Minho, why don’t you do Hyunjin’s part, and someone else can…”

“Hannie can do Felix’s part,” Minho says quickly. _Too_ quickly, and he knows it - the tips of his ears turn red as soon as it’s out, and he swiftly adds, “That way we can show the height difference.”

“Sure,” Chan allows, opting not to comment on that flimsy explanation, just waving them forward with a sweep of his arm as the rest of them all step back to watch. “You two can go ahead whenever you’re ready.”

“You do know what you’re doing, right? You saw what I did when we taught them the first time?” Minho asks as Jisung meets him in the center. Yesterday, Minho had done Felix’s part with the instructor demonstrating Hyunjin’s - he often serves that role, since he catches on so quickly when learning new routines.

“Of course,” Jisung affirms. “I was watching you very closely, like I always do.”

“Teacher’s pet,” Minho admonishes, but he’s smiling, that tiny, genuine smile he seems to save only for Jisung. “Alright, then, go to your position and I’ll count us off.”

Despite the pressure of all of them watching, Jisung goes through the motions of Felix’s part fairly flawlessly, at least hitting all of the main points. The only deviation is when he fakes a swoon when Minho walks up.

“Don’t actually do it like that,” Minho informs Felix, already doing Hyunjin’s choreography as though it’s second nature as he looks down at Jisung to scold, “Come on, be serious. We're supposed to be teaching them, not fooling around.”

“I _am_ being serious,” Jisung insists. “Why don't you come down here? I’ll show you just how serious I’m being.”

Minho, as the choreography requires, drops down to his hands, bracing them around Jisung’s face and lying nearly on top of him, and Jisung, never one to miss an opportunity, leans up just far enough to make their lips connect for the briefest of moments before dropping back down again.

The air goes instantly still, a thick layer of tension filling the room as everyone realizes what just happened. There are a few gasps, a few murmurs of surprise, and then perfect, pin-drop silence.

Hyunjin expects Minho to jerk away from Jisung in horror, then cuss Jisung out, or storm out wordlessly, or even hit him, but he doesn’t do any of those things. He just sort of stays there, just staring down at Jisung in shock, but not angry shock, just... shocked, stunned, like he genuinely can’t believe that just happened. Their eyes are locked on each other, having a silent conversation using nothing but eye contact.

“Uh, wow. Alright then,” Chan says, breaking a long, tense silence to declare, “So, uh, let’s take break for lunch, yeah? We can finish working on this when we get back.”

Everyone else disperses, gathering up in groups of two or three before heading out of the practice room. Minho and Jisung don’t move for a long while, but eventually head over to a corner of the practice room, talking in hushed whispers with unreadable expressions. After a moment or two, Chan walks over to meet them there, presumably to remind them how frequently cameras show up without them expecting it, and how dangerous of a stunt that could have been. Knowing Chan, he’ll be gentle about it, but still, Hyunjin doesn’t envy the conversation the three of them are about to have.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” Felix admits, coming up by Hyunjin’s side, his practice duffel hanging off his arm, staring up at Hyunjin with wide eyes. "I never... I mean, of course everyone suspected they were... close, but I never expected them to do anything like _that."_

“Yeah, me either,” Hyunjin agrees. “Who knew Jisungie was so bold?” 

“Right?" Felix cries. "I mean, I definitely thought about doing the same thing when we were down there, but I didn’t actually go through with it!”

"Oh, I, uh..." Hyunjin has to pause to process that for a moment, but once it clicks, he can’t help his shocked expression, nor his cry of, “Wait, what? Really?”

“Kidding, just kidding,” Felix assures him, but he shoots him a wink over his shoulder as he walks away, his smirk as unreadable as it is enticing. Hyunjin turns away before Felix can see his blush, but the deep, familiar chuckle he hears behind him only makes his cheeks burn even hotter.


	4. nobody got me feelin' this way

//  
 _You got me puttin' time in, time in_  
 _Nobody got me feelin' this way  
You probably think I'm lyin', lyin'_  
//

Hyunjin finds Felix in the kitchen, surrounded by vegetables and tearing apart a head of broccoli like it’s personally offended him, using a knife even bigger than his hand - which isn’t saying much, with how small Felix’s hands are, but it’s still an intimidatingly large blade.  
  
“Hey, Bokkie,” Hyunjin greets him, coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around Felix’s waist. The three-inch difference between them puts Felix’s shoulder at the perfect height for Hyunjin to rest his chin on comfortably, so he does exactly that. “What are you making?”

“Veggie tempura, hopefully,” he replies, tilting his head to the side slightly to rest his head against Hyunjin’s. “If I can actually get this recipe right.”

“Sounds good,” Hyunjin remarks, nuzzling at his neck playfully until he’s lightly shoved away. “Need any help?”

“Do you _want_ to help?” Felix raises his eyebrows, turning to him and grinning at the unexpected offer. “I don’t want you to feel obligated just because you happened to walk into the kitchen while I was doing this, but I also could definitely use another set of hands.”

“Nah, I really don’t mind helping, I was just wandering around bored and looking for something to do,” Hyunjin assures him, then holds up his hands, palms out, like he’s being arrested. “My hands are all yours.” 

“Well, in that case, can you use them to help me chop some of these?” he asks. “I want to make a few different ones, to make sure I don’t leave out someone’s favorite, but everything has to be chopped first, so it’s a bit overwhelming.”

“Yeah, there are definitely a lot,” Hyunjin agrees, looking at the colorful array of produce that surrounds the two of them. “Sure, I can chop up a few of these. You’re doing the onions, though - I won’t eat them, so I don't want to be the one to cry from cutting them, either.” 

“I actually wasn’t planning on making any onion ones,” Felix assures him. “Too many people don’t like onions, and besides, onion tempura is basically just a fancy onion ring.” 

“That’s really true, actually,” Hyunjin affirms, putting on a pair of kitchen gloves and then grabbing an armload of bell peppers and another knife before joining Felix at the cutting board. Their kitchen isn’t really that big, so there’s not a ton of room, but Hyunjin’s able to find an empty space to start chopping the pepper, albeit with their shoulders bumping every time they move. “I never thought about it that way, but you’re right.”

“I’m a genius,” Felix grins, then nudges him lightly, adding, “Just like you, Hyun-genius!”

Hyunjin laughs, “I can’t believe you even remember that.”

“What? Of course I do! How could I not?” Felix cries. “It was so cute.” 

_“You’re_ so cute,” Hyunjin replies without even thinking about it. It’s much more of a compliment than it is a retort, and his face heats up once he realizes what he’s just said, but Felix just laughs it off without further comment.

They work in silence for a while, Felix finishing the broccoli and starting to separate a large head of cauliflower into smaller florets while Hyunjin chops a few peppers into strips. It’s nice, in a simple, domestic sort of way. Felix is a comforting presence even when they’re not talking; it’s always so easy to fall into an amiable sort of quiet with him, neither speaking but both enjoying the other’s company. 

Hyunjin finishes chopping the last pepper in the bunch he’d initially gathered up and has to reach past Felix to grab another one. The curtain covering the windowed door to the balcony is parted just enough to let a tiny sliver of golden light through, and it falls across Felix’s hair, curving around the crown of his head to form a near-perfect halo. Hyunjin finds himself just standing there, holding a knife in one hand and gripping the countertop with the other as he watches Felix, in awe that Felix has actually found a way to look even _more_ angelic than usual. 

“Hyunjinnie’s staring at me,” Felix teases, dragging out the ‘e’ in ‘me’ into a long, high-pitched, sing-song tone that absolutely would’ve earned him a playful punch in the shoulder if he’d been anyone other than sweet, sunshiney Felix.

“I-I’m not,” Hyunjin insists, but the lie gets caught in his throat when Felix turns to look at him. The change in position gets the golden light curving across his freckled cheek and his sharp, perfect jawline. 

“You know, I might be more inclined to believe that if you weren’t _still_ staring at me, right now, as we speak,” Felix replies. He’s grinning, so Hyunjin knows he’s not actually creeped out or mad, but Hyunjin’s face feels like it might actually be on fire. There’s a rushing sound in his red-tipped ears, just like when he used to get called out for not paying attention in class back in primary school.

“I’m _not,”_ Hyunjin says again, more insistent this time. “I was reaching to grab another pepper to chop, and then you said something to me, so I looked at you, and…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Felix assures him, and he reaches out with one gloved hand, resting it on Hyunjin’s cheek in an eerily identical reflection of the way the sunlight is cast across his own face. “I’m just teasing you, Jinnie, I’m not actually upset. I love the way you look at me.” 

_I love the way you look at me._ The words echo in Hyunjin’s head even after Felix’s hand retreats from Hyunjin’s cheek, even when Felix goes back to chopping veggies and Hyunjin forces himself to do the same. 

There are so many thoughts and memories and feelings swirling around and crashing into each other in Hyunjin’s mind. He’s almost certain Felix, standing at his shoulder, must be able to hear the sound of it. It’s loud, and overwhelming, like pots and pans being bashed together by a hyperactive toddler. 

He remembers lying on the floor of the practice room, just over a week ago, how close Felix’s face had been to his own. He pictures Jisung and Minho, that quick, dry brush of lips, and how Felix had said - just joking, just teasing, nothing serious… but he said he’d thought of doing the same thing, with Hyunjin.

Hyunjin’s brain supplies the image, just for a fraction of a second, of Felix lifting his head up from the ground, tilting his head just right to find the perfect angle to meet Hyunjin’s lips…  
  
He shuts the thought down as quickly as he can, but the imagined sensation stays with him, an all-too-vivid ghost of a memory that never actually happened.


	5. thinking 'bout us lately

// _  
"Baby you’re no good_ _  
_ _My friends all think I’m crazy_ _  
_ _Cuz I’m thinking ‘bout us lately"  
_//

Hyunjin isn’t sure why he feels the need to overpack every single time he travels. Adjusting the heavy duffel on his arm and dragging a large suitcase on wheels behind him into the hotel lobby, he deeply regrets having packed enough clothes to last several weeks for this two-day trip. He also knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that he’s going to learn absolutely nothing from this, and end up making the same mistake when he’s packing for their next trip. It’s happened more times than he can count - at this point, it’s practically a tradition. 

At least he’s not the only one - Felix is once again noticeably struggling to carry all three of his suitcases, and Changbin eventually notices his struggle and comes over to help. Changbin, who’s somehow managed to fit all of his belongings in a single backpack, has both hands free, and takes two of Felix’s overstuffed bags as if they weigh nothing at all, even as the bulging muscles of his upper arms noticeably flex beneath the sleeves of his t-shirt. Hyunjin feels a surge of envy; he really needs to start going to the gym again.

Chan heads over to the front to get them all checked in, while Minho herds the rest of them to an area of benches to avoid crowding the reception desk. Hyunjin sets his duffel on the floor, then winces as he drops it a bit hard, making a loud noise that echoes throughout the lobby. Ducking his head, ears tipped red, he suddenly feels a small, warm hand giving him a reassuring squeeze, just above his knee. He didn’t really notice who sat down beside him, but he doesn’t even have to look up to know that the hand belongs to Felix - he’s the only one who’d be that quick to comfort him over something so minor.

“I always do that, too,” Felix admits, patting Hyunjin’s leg twice before withdrawing his hand. “Packing too much, I mean. I never know what I’m going to want while I’m here, so I pack everything I think I might need, and then poor Binnie-hyung gets stuck carrying it all for me.” 

“I don’t think he minds,” Hyunjin assures him. “It’s like a free trip to the gym, and besides, you know he’d do anything for you.”

“He really would,” Felix agrees, smiling fondly. “He’s a good hyung, all of our hyungs are.” 

Hyunjin is about to agree with him, and tell him about the time Minho made sure he wore his warmest coat to that early-morning outdoor photo shoot, but that just reminds him of sharing the coat with Felix, and that’s become sort of a… _weighted_ memory, lately. 

He flushes, at a sudden loss for words, but it doesn’t really matter - Chan comes back with the room keys before Hyunjin even has time to reply, and the rush of everyone scrambling to grab a room key and find out who they’ll be rooming with quickly outweighs their need to hear anything Hyunjin might have had to say. It’s a lucky break, really; Hyunjin just waits for Chan to hand him his key card once the commotion dies down, too relieved at being saved from an awkward silence to worry about what room he’ll end up in. 

After noting his room number, Hyunjin slips the key card into his jacket pocket without really thinking about it, but Minho appears at his shoulder seconds later, asking, as if it’s a matter of life and death, “Which room did you get?”

“Room 313,” Hyunjin replies. “Why, which one did you get?”

Rather than answering the rather direct, simple question, Minho cryptically asks, “You got 313? Are you sure?”

“I’m pretty sure,” Hyunjin takes the card out of his pocket and inspects it, then hands it over to Minho for confirmation, “Yeah, it says 313 right there, see?”

Minho stares down at it for a moment, then tucks it into his own pocket, withdrawing a noticeably different card and placing it into Hyunjin’s hand. It’s not a very good sleight of hand, considering Hyunjin’s card was red, and this new one is blue, but Minho maintains a flawless poker face as he claims, “Sorry, but you got it wrong. Looks like you’re in 315, actually.”

“Minho-hyung,” Hyunjin whines, frowning at him. “You stole mine! Why do you even want…?” 

The question gets answered for him when Jisung walks up, cheerfully asking, “Did you find out who else had 313, hyung? Are we rooming together yet?”

“Be more subtle,” Minho scolds him. “But yes, I did, and yes, we are.”

“You could have just asked, you know.” Hyunjin shakes his head, but he can’t help but grin. Minho and Jisung are undeniably sweet together, even when they’re being sort of annoying to Hyunjin personally. “I probably would have agreed to switch if you’d asked me to. You really didn’t even have to go through the trouble of tricking me.”

“I don’t understand, what’s the problem?” Minho demands. “I’m rooming with Hannie, and you’re right next door. Or do you just not like Felix anymore, suddenly?”

“What does Felix have to do with…?” It takes a moment for Hyunjin to connect the dots. “Oh, is Felix your roommate?”

“No, Hannie’s my roommate,” Minho replies, then gestures at Jisung beside him. “I’m with Hannie, in 313, and you’re with Felix, in 315. It really isn’t that confusing, Hyunjin.”  
  
“It just worked out that way,” Jisung adds. “Come on, just go with it!”

“Yes, purely coincidence,” Minho agrees. “It’s so funny how these things work out, isn’t it?”

“I can’t believe you guys sometimes,” Hyunjin rolls his eyes. “You know, I _just_ got done calling you a good hyung.”

“Well, that’s a little weird, because I’m the same age as you,” Jisung grins. “But that’s very flattering, Hyunjinnie, thank you.”

“You know what, Minho-hyung, I’ve just decided I like this roommate switch idea after all,” Hyunjin declares. “Honestly, I should thank you for taking Jisung off my hands. Now I don’t have to deal with his nonsense all night long.”

“What roommate switch?” Minho asks, his face a mask of pure confusion. “You should really stop making up these strange stories, Hyunjin. People will get the wrong idea.”

//

It’s right as the door clicks shut behind Hyunjin that he realizes that he and Felix haven’t been alone like this in… honestly, he’s not even sure how long. Sure, they’ve been alone in the kitchen together, or in the living room late at night, but always ‘alone’ in a very temporary way, where someone could walk in at any moment. A locked hotel room gives them a level of privacy he’s no longer used to.

Felix seems blissfully unaware of this, fully unaffected by the potential implications of being completely alone with another person for the first time in however many months. He’s laying out his clothes on one of the beds, folding and sorting the frankly massive amount of clothing he’s brought with him - not that Hyunjin can judge. He’s humming a tune to himself that Hyunjin finds vaguely familiar but can’t quite place, and he barely even looks up when Hyunjin walks in, just giving him a quick nod and smile before returning to his task.

“Oh my god,” Felix says suddenly, and then bursts into uncontrollable giggles, burying his face in his arms on the bed.

“What’s going on?” Hyunjin asks. “What’s so funny?”

“I packed so many clothes, like… _so_ many clothes, right?” Felix replies, “But somehow I completely forgot to pack any pajamas."

Hyunjin walks over, picking up a pair of sweatpants from one of the piles. “Can’t you just sleep in, like, a t-shirt and a pair of these?”

“No, I’m really picky with pajama pants,” Felix admits. He unfolds the pants and holds them up from the bottom, where the pant leg is cinched. “If they’re tight at the bottom like this, I won’t be able to sleep, and all the ones I brought with me are like this.” 

“Hmm,” Hyunjin glances over at his own duffel and suitcase, frowning. “I think all the ones I have are like that, too. They’d be a bit looser on you, but still…”

“Yeah,” Felix agrees, nodding. He rests his cheek on the bedspread, peering over at Hyunjin solemnly. “Guess I’m going shopping then.”

“Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing?” Hyunjin asks. “I love shopping. _You_ love shopping.” 

“Not when it’s because I forgot to pack something,” Felix insists, but then giggles and shrugs. “But you’re right, I’m being silly.” He brightens further, adding, “Hey, since you like shopping so much, you wanna come with me?”

“Right now?” Hyunjin asks. “Do we have time?”

“I think so,” Felix replies. “Hang on, I’ll text Channie-hyung and make sure, but I think we have a few hours of downtime before we’re all supposed to meet up for dinner, and I don’t think that’s mandatory, either, it was just sort of a suggestion.”

“I think they’re filming it, though, for the 9th,” Hyunjin tells him. “So I think we do need to be back for dinner, at the very least.” 

“That’s fine, that still gives us plenty of time.” Felix flops down on the bed, seemingly unbothered by the toppling piles of clothes he just spent so much time organizing. He takes his phone out of his hoodie pocket, typing out a quick message before stretching out like a sleepy cat while he waits for a reply. “Man, these beds are _huge.”_

“Nah, I’m pretty sure our dorm beds are just super tiny,” Hyunjin replies, but he sprawls out on the other bed anyway, sighing happily as the soft mattress envelops him. 

Felix rolls over onto his side so that he’s facing Hyunjin. “It’s been a while since we’ve roomed together, hasn’t it?”

“It’s been a really long time, actually. We haven’t shared a room since that one time in Australia,” Hyunjin replies. “Feels like I’ve been roommates with just about everyone but you ever since then.”

“Same here,” Felix agrees. He stretches, joints cracking, and adds, “I’m glad we’re finally together again, though. I had so much fun rooming with you in Sydney.” 

“Yeah, that was really nice. We stayed up all night talking.” They’d also shared a bed afterward, clinging to each other in an hours-long hug, but Hyunjin’s face heats up when he goes to say anything about that, so instead he asks, “Did Chan-hyung ever text you back, by the way?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, let me see…” Felix grabs his phone from where it fell off his stomach onto the bed when he’d rolled over, and nods excitedly. “Yeah, he did! He says, ‘You two go ahead and have fun, just be back by six for dinner!’ So I guess you were right, they must be filming us at dinner tonight.” 

“Fine by me,” Hyunjin shrugs. “That probably means we’ll get something extra fancy and none of us will have to pay for it.”

“Which means more money for us to go shopping with!” Felix grins. “Are you ready to go? I don’t want to be too rushed.”

“Yeah, I’m good, let’s head out.” Hyunjin sits up, then pauses. “Wait, should we call a cab or something, or can we walk there?”

“I think I saw a mall on the drive here from the airport,” Felix replies. “It didn’t seem that far away, but let me GPS it really quick. I know things can seem a lot closer when you’re in a car than when you have to walk there.”

“That can definitely happen,” Hyunjin agrees. 

“Looks like it’s about a ten minute walk, are you up for that?” 

“Ten minutes is like, nothing,” Hyunjin assures him. “I could do that in my sleep.”

“Is that something I should be worried about, rooming with you?” Felix asks, looking over at him and quirking an eyebrow. “Are you prone to sleepwalking?”

“Not usually,” Hyunjin replies. “Sleep- _talking,_ sometimes, but I don’t usually get up and move around or anything like that.”

“Oh, I remember that from last time!” Felix cries excitedly. “It was so cute, you kept mumbling my name and then hugging me closer.” 

Hyunjin’s face heats up so fast, he’s eyeing the fire extinguisher in the corner of the room. “So, uh, yeah, you’re, um, you’re ready to go, then?”

“Yeah, I’m ready, let's go,” Felix grins, raising his hands in the air. “Shop-shop-shopping!” 


	6. but really if i could

//  
_"But really if I could_ _  
_ _I’d forget about you_  
_Or get about you, get about you"_  
//

Hyunjin hadn’t realized it had been this long since he’d been inside a shopping mall, but he’s hit with the strongest wave of nostalgia as soon as he walks through the doors. The steady sound of bubbling water in the fountain, the tempting smell of soft pretzels wafting over from the food court… it all makes him feel like he’s thirteen years old again, like he could turn around and wave goodbye to his mom through the sliding glass doors as she drives away in her old maroon minivan, having just dropped him off to hang out with the rest of his junior high swim team in the food court.

This mall clearly hasn’t seen a renovation in decades, but that only adds to the nostalgia. One of the first things they pass on their way in is a small carousel with an out-of-order sign on it. It most likely hasn’t functioned properly since Hyunjin was still small enough to ride it, but it’s almost eerily identical to the one they had at the mall down the street from his parents’ house, and he can’t resist the sentimental urge to pat the head of a porcelain elephant on their way by. That little grey elephant, with its S-shaped trunk and big, floppy, pink-lined ears, had always been his favorite one to ride, and seeing it again feels strangely like reuniting with an old friend. 

“Oh my god, Jinnie, that was so cute!” Felix squeals. Hyunjin feels the tips of his ears growing warmer; he hadn’t exactly meant for Felix to see that, but he can’t bring himself to feel too ashamed, not while Felix smiles at him so incredibly fondly. He really should have seen that coming - if anyone would understand getting sentimental over something like that, it would be Felix.

“Where do you want to go first?” Hyunjin asks, stopping at a directory and catching Felix’s arm to keep him from absentmindedly wandering away. 

Felix comes over to see the map, leaning in close, one hand curling around Hyunjin’s elbow as he rests his head on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “I don’t know, really. Which of these stores sells pajamas?”

The heat that’s already rushed to Hyunjin’s cheeks from Felix cuddling up to him makes him feel suddenly bold - he taps the name of a high-end lingerie store and casually suggests, “If you wanted to treat yourself to something pretty, we could go here.”

“Oh please, you wish,” Felix snorts, pretending to be annoyed even though his shoulders are already trembling with his barely-repressed laughter. “What, you’ve been my roommate for half an hour and you’re already trying to get me to dress up all sexy for you? I’m _scandalized,_ Jinnie, I really am.”

“Why? I just thought you might want to, uh, slip into something more comfortable,” Hyunjin replies breezily, but his carefully-constructed casual demeanor gives way to shy giggles as he finds himself suddenly embarrassed by his own joke. He quickly taps on a few more appropriate options on the list, wanting to change the subject. “I mean, we could try a couple of these bigger department stores, or - oh, we could go here, if you want. I’ve always liked their stuff, I bought a lot of my favorite clothes from there.” 

“Really? Oh my god, let’s just go there, then!” Felix declares. “You’ve always had good taste, you have a great sense of style. I trust your judgment.”

It’s nothing but a very brotherly, friendly, casual compliment, the sort of thing that Hyunjin could easily imagine himself saying to Changbin or Seungmin without giving it a second thought, nor would he really think anything of hearing it from them. But somehow, when Felix says it, with his voice sounding all deep and sincere like that, Hyunjin feels a dizzying warmth flooding his entire body, and he has no idea why.

Well. He kind of does. Deep down inside, he absolutely knows why. He’s just not ready to verbalize it yet, not even in his own head. Feigning confusion at his own racing, stuttering heartbeat makes things much easier for Hyunjin to deal with and comprehend than letting his overactive imagination explore the concept any further than that.

Felix traces his finger over the little code next to the store’s name. “A-23… let’s see… so if it says we’re here, and the store right next to us is C-14, that means we must be down hallway C, and we just have to go this way, and then take a left here, just past the food court. Does that seem right to you?”

“Uh, yeah, I mean... I think so? I don’t really know, honestly,” Hyunjin shrugs sheepishly. “I’m bad with directions, but I trust you.”

Felix grins, nuzzling against Hyunjin’s shoulder affectionately for a moment before sliding his hand down his arm, wrapping his little hand around Hyunjin’s wrist and tugging him in the right direction. “Here, I’ll lead you, then. And don’t wander off, okay? I don’t want to have to go call in a missing child report at the info desk.”

“Hello, info desk? Yes, I’d like to report a stray Stray Kid,” Hyunjin quips, and Felix laughs, loud and bright. 

As they head down the corridor, Felix switches from holding onto Hyunjin’s wrist to linking arms with him instead. Again, it’s such a simple move, so casual and fraternal, but Hyunjin can’t help but wonder if the people passing them by might think they’re a couple... the idea of being mistaken for Felix’s boyfriend makes his heart pound so hard, he can feel it in his temples.

“This mall is actually kind of huge. The one I grew up by was laid out sort of like…” He gestures with his hands, indicating a Y-shape. “But this one’s more like…” He spreads out all of his fingers, crooking them until his hand resembles a five-legged insect.

“Yeah, it’s definitely a lot,” Hyunjin agrees. “I’d be super lost if you weren’t leading me.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Felix promises. “I’d never let anything bad happen to you.”

Hyunjin doesn’t really have time to respond to that, which is good because he’s at a complete loss as to what to say to such a sweet, genuine assurance like that anyway. Instead, he just gestures in front of them, pointing out, “There it is, that’s the store we were looking for.”

“Awesome,” Felix grins. “You’ll come in with me and help me pick out something cute, right?”

“Of course I will,” Hyunjin tells him. “That’s what I’m here for, right?”

“No, you’re here because you said you like shopping and you’re good company,” Felix replies. “I really hate shopping alone, to be honest. Coming to places like this by myself, I really do kind of feel like a stray Stray Kid.”

“I get what you mean,” Hyunjin says, guiding the two of them into the store. “I’ve gotten so used to doing things as a group, it feels weird to be by myself at all these days.” 

If they were having this conversation back in their hotel room, it probably would evolve into an emotional, hours-long discussion. In public, though, and in a store surrounded by cute, trendy clothing, the conversation quickly fizzles out into something much more lighthearted, the two of them heading over to adjacent clothing racks and calling over to each other each time they find something they like.

“What do you think of this jacket?” Felix asks. Hyunjin glances up from the clearance rack he’s been looking through, checking out the jacket in question. It’s denim on the torso, with heather-grey sleeves and a matching hood, looking a bit like a denim vest worn over a zip-up hoodie, but all in one.

“I really like that! That’s super cute,” Hyunjin replies. Holding up a pair of acid-wash black jeans with artfully-placed rips and tears, he asks, “What do you think of these?”

“Ooh, those would look so nice on you!” Felix grins. He lights up like he’s just realized something and grabs a sleeveless black hoodie off the rack he’s been looking through. “They’d go really well with this, actually!”

They go back and forth like that, asking each other’s opinion on a variety of different clothes and recommending additional items to match, until they’ve both got a full armload of things to try on. Felix heads over to get one of the sales clerks to unlock the dressing rooms for them while Hyunjin tries to adjust the clothing he’s holding before he ends up dropping all of it. 

The clerk has a few customers to finish checking out first, and, trying to keep her from feeling crowded or pressured to hurry up, Felix wanders over to a display rack near the front of the store that they hadn’t actually looked through yet. His eyes suddenly light up at one item in particular, and he quickly adds it to the pile in his hands, tucking it beneath a few other items.

When Felix comes back over with the clerk, Hyunjin can’t help but ask, “What did you grab while you were over there? It looked like you were trying to hide it, like it was a secret or something.” 

“You saw that, huh? Well, you’re right, it _is_ a secret for now, but maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll try it on for you,” Felix replies cryptically, and gives him a coy wink. Hyunjin’s jaw drops before he can stop himself, and Felix giggles, self-satisfied, clearly having gotten the exact reaction he was looking for.

“Oh, oops, looks like we’ve actually only got one fitting room left,” the clerk informs them. “Sorry, but it looks like you’ll have to take turns, unless you don’t mind sharing?”

“We can definitely share,” Felix quickly assures her, then grins at Hyunjin as he adds, “We’re actually _very_ close.” 

“Aw, that’s awesome, good for you guys!” the clerk smiles, unlocking the door to one closet-sized fitting room. Hyunjin’s never really been one for complex math problems, but as soon as the door’s open, he’s calculating his own body mass plus Felix’s and comparing it to the dimensions of the tiny room - they’ll fit, just barely, but there won’t be more than an inch or two of room between them. 

While Hyunjin is still trying to figure out how to express that fact without revealing how much he’s internally panicking, Felix, clearly unbothered, walks into the dressing room, grabs Hyunjin by the wrist, and pulls him in after him.

The door is closed behind them before Hyunjin can even react. They’re standing just as close together as Hyunjin had anticipated - he’s not sure how they’ll even be able to try on the clothes. He’s sort of surprised the clerk even gave them the option of sharing, with how small the rooms are, but then again, Felix had assured her that they were _‘very_ close.’

There’s a small bench by the back wall, taking up even more space in this tiny room. Felix sets his pile of clothing on it and gestures for Hyunjin to do the same, and Hyunjin, whose face is so warm and nerves are so high that he feels like he’s on autopilot, does as he’s told.

He stands up just in time to see Felix peeling his shirt off, face to face with him, like it’s no big deal. And really, it shouldn’t be - it’s far from the first time he’s seen Felix shirtless. In fact, he’s seen him in far less, along with all their other bandmates. There’s often little to no time to change between songs - more often than not, they’re all pulling off parts of their costumes as soon as they get backstage. Modesty is the last thing on their minds as they fumble to get dressed in time for their next set, and no one’s really looking at anyone but themselves. There’s hardly even enough time to get a shirt buttoned, let alone check out what any of the other members might be hiding under their clothes.

Now, though, it’s almost the exact opposite. There’s all the time in the world to stare, nothing else to focus on, and hardly anywhere else to look. Felix might be petite, but he is _built,_ years of taekwondo and dance training combined with his efforts at the gym leaving his muscles perfectly sculpted. Felix doesn’t even rush to grab a shirt to try on, like he’s just letting Hyunjin look - but of course that’s not the case, surely he’s just gotten distracted by something.

“See something you like?” Felix asks, and okay, apparently he’s not just distracted, he’s actively trying to get Hyunjin flustered.

“You’re kind of all I _can_ see,” Hyunjin replies, but he can’t help but admit, “All joking aside, though, you _do_ look really good. Been going with Minho to the gym lately?”

“I go with Chan and Changbin, usually,” Felix tells him. “I just felt bad sleeping in when they’re both waking up early to go to the gym, it made me feel lazy being the only one in the room that’s staying behind to sleep.”

“I totally get that,” Hyunjin agrees. “I haven’t gone in a while, but I was watching Changbin carry your bags earlier and I was like… shit, man, I want that, I want my arms to look like that.”

“Mmm, I dunno,” Felix admits, reaching out a hand and squeezing Hyunjin’s bicep. Hyunjin’s heart is pounding so hard, he’s sure Felix can hear it, he’s sure the customers in the other dressing rooms can hear it, hell, he’s sure the sales clerk can hear it all the way up at the register. “I mean, obviously it’s your body and you should do whatever feels right to you, but I think you look really good the way you are. You’d for sure pull off a _little_ bit more bulk, if that’s really what you want, but I don’t think you should drive yourself crazy trying to look like Changbin or anything.” 

“I, uh… wow, thank you,” Hyunjin stammers. He’s fighting to keep his facial expression neutral, but Felix isn’t even looking at him anymore, he’s reaching over to grab a t-shirt out of his pile of clothes. 

Hyunjin finally realizes it’ll be too weird to just stand there, fully clothed, watching Felix get changed over and over again, so he tugs his shirt over his head and tosses it aside before he can change his mind, grabbing a sweater from his own pile of clothes.

By the time he’s got the sweater pulled over his head, Felix has somehow managed to get completely stuck in the t-shirt he’s trying on. It’s a tight-fitting shirt to begin with, and he strongly suspects Felix may have grabbed a size down from the size he actually needs. It’s caught around his shoulders and making it incredibly difficult for Felix to put it on or take it off - he’s just helplessly stuck.

Peeking out at Hyunjin through the collar of the shirt, Felix quietly squeaks, “Help?”

“Oh my _god,_ Lixie,” Hyujin cries, but he’s grinning so hard it makes his cheeks ache. “Did you really just get into a fight with a t-shirt and _lose?_ Aren’t you supposed to be, like, a black belt or something?”

“A second-degree black belt, thank you, and those are some _bold_ words, considering I once watched you lose a battle with some bubbles,” Felix adds, but he’s giggling too. “Can you please get this shirt off me? I really can’t move my arms enough to do it myself, and it’s so tight it almost feels like I’m fighting an anaconda.”

“Is that something you’ve experienced before?” Hyunjin asks. “Is that, like, a universal Australian experience? Going out into the wilderness and fighting giant snakes?”

“Oi, yeah, most defo, mate,” Felix replies, putting on his heaviest Australian accent. “Back home in ‘Straya, we all just eat some vegemite on a biccy for brekkie, put on our daks and a flannie, grab a brolly, trek on out into the bush, and wrassle up a big ol’ ‘conda so we can take it home and cook it up on the barbie for all our rellies.”

“I understood about half of that,” Hyunjin laughs. “Were those all real words?” 

“Believe it or not, yes,” Felix giggles, then flaps his arms helplessly, looking more like a baby chick than ever before. “Jinnie, _help_ me!” 

“Okay, okay, calm down, I’ve got you,” Hyunjin assures him. He’s been hesitating because, well, the idea of taking Felix’s shirt off for him is a bit of a… _heated_ prospect, but he’s also not going to leave Felix to struggle just because his libido’s getting the best of him. 

Grabbing hold of the hem, he does his best to guide the fabric up along Felix’s torso without touching him unnecessarily, but the shirt is so _tight,_ it’s nigh-on impossible to actually keep his fingers away from Felix’s warm, soft skin. 

He eventually gets the shirt up and off, tugging it over Felix’s head and mussing up his hair. Red-faced from the friction of the fabric on his cheeks, he looks… outrageously debauched, honestly, and Hyunjin turns to toss the shirt back onto Felix’s pile of clothes, just for a chance to take a breath, to try and get the blush on his cheeks to go away.

“Thank you,” Felix pants, and yeah, that breathy tone is not exactly helping Hyunjin’s situation. “Can you hand me those pajama pants, the light blue ones? Those seem a bit less likely to, y’know, strangle me.” 

“Oh, these are adorable,” Hyunjin says as he hands them over. “I love the little clouds on them.”

“I do too!” Felix cries. “I really hope they fit, they only had the one pair on the clearance rack and I’m already so attached to them.” 

“I hope so, too,” Hyunjin agrees, taking off the sweater he’s trying on and grabbing a t-shirt off the pile to try on next. Felix is fumbling with his belt, working on taking his jeans off, and Hyunjin turns around to give him some privacy. 

Hyunjin’s got the t-shirt about halfway pulled down when he hears a soft “oh, fuck” and then Felix tumbles right into him, falling against his back and pinning Hyunjin to the wall.

“Fuck, sorry,” Felix cries, trying to push himself up but just managing to fall into Hyunjin again. “Shit, I’m so sorry, I was trying to get these pants on and I lost my footing.”

“It’s okay, it happens,” Hyunjin insists, glad that Felix can’t see how bright red his face is, especially with the fun detail that Felix isn’t really wearing pants right now, and also, from the amount of bare skin Hyunjin can feel pressed against his back, hasn’t gotten around to putting a shirt on yet, either. 

They manage to get themselves untangled and upright, Hyunjin gets the shirt pulled down and has just gotten around to checking himself out in the mirror when Felix asks, “What do you think?”

Turning around, all the air gets sucked out of Hyunjin’s lungs when he sees him. The pajama pants are so incredibly cute, it should be nothing but wholesome, but the bare chest gives it a very different vibe. Ordinarily, Hyunjin would chastise himself for staring, but Felix has sort of _asked_ him to, so just this once, Hyunjin just lets himself… look.

“You look amazing,” Hyunjin murmurs, sort of surprised to even hear himself say it out loud.

“I mean, they’re just pajama pants, I don’t know if I look _amazing,_ ” Felix giggles. “But thanks, Jinnie, you’re sweet.”

They both jump about a foot in the air when Felix’s phone goes off. Felix bends down to grab his phone out of his jeans pocket, and Hyunjin adamantly refuses to have any feelings at all about Felix being on his knees, right in front of him. 

“It’s Channie-hyung,” Felix tells him, then lifts the phone to his ear. “Hey, hyung, what’s going on? Are… shit, is everything okay? Oh… oh, okay, you scared me for a second. No, no, it’s okay, it’s not your fault, I just… yeah, yeah, we can head back now, I’ll come help you, just give us a few minutes to check out, and… no, not out of the hotel, hyung, at the store. I know, it’s alright, just take a few deep breaths, we’ll figure it out. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?” 

“What’s going on?” Hyunjin asks, brow furrowed in concern. “Is hyung okay?”

“Yeah, he’s alright, just a little, uh, frazzled,” Felix explains. “Uh, turns out dinner tonight isn’t quite what we expected it to be. We’re not going to a restaurant, we’re supposed to cook the meal, together, and Channie-hyung’s sort of freaking out because the producers just told him he’s got to come up with a recipe and buy the ingredients before filming starts, so I’m going to try and help him out.” 

“Oh, okay,” Hyunjin nods, then glances over at their piles of clothes. “What do you think we should do with the rest of these, just put them back, or…?”

“Nah, let’s just take the risk and buy them,” Felix shrugs, gathering them up into his arms. “If they don’t fit or we end up not liking them, we can just give them to the other members, we all share clothes anyway.” 

There’s absolutely no way something that’s too small to fit Felix will be able to be handed off to any of the other members, but Hyunjin doesn’t have the heart to break that to him right now. “Okay,” he agrees. “Yeah, sure, I guess that works.” 

“Aw, I never got a chance to try this one on for you, I was really looking forward to that,” Felix pouts. Hyunjin leans over to see what it is he’s referring to, and Felix clutches the pile to his chest, blocking it from view. “Nope, sorry, I still want it to be a surprise. I’ll show you later.” 

“Later?” Hyunjin echoes. “Like, at the hotel?”

“Yeah,” Felix agrees. “After dinner, once we’re alone, I’ll try it on for you.” Hyunjin doesn’t realize his expression is so obvious, but it makes Felix giggle. “Oh, what, you wanted me to buy lingerie before, but now you’re suddenly all shy?” 

“I-I’m not,” Hyunjin insists. “I’m not shy at all.” 

“You definitely are, and it’s very cute,” Felix giggles again, tapping Hyunjin on the nose. _“Cutie!”_

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT <3


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